Thinning and plantation of resprouting species redirect overstocked pine stands towards more functional communities in the Mediterranean basin

Moghli, Aymen; Santana, Víctor M.; Soliveres, Santiago; Baeza, M. Jaime

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150715

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Second, we found that carbon sequestration function (i.e., net balance of above and belowground carbon stocks) increased markedly in response to long-term transhumant sheep grazing exclusion, exhibiting a trade-off with biodiversity and forage production functions. It should be emphasized that woody species abundance was solely considered as the main aboveground carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems (Moghli et al, 2022), since herbaceous species abundance was already used in this study as a proxy of forage production function. Nonetheless, woody species encroachment in traditionally managed grasslands leads to much greater gains in net aboveground carbon stocks than those associated with the absence of herbaceous biomass consumption by domestic livestock (Montané et al, 2007;Tanentzap and Coomes, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the importance of these processes, biodiversity has recently been considered as an ecosystem function on its own, and not only as a factor explaining EMF (Garland et al, 2021). Forage production function was assessed using the cover and richness of perennial and annual herbaceous species as proxies of aboveground biomass that can be consumed by livestock as a fraction of primary production in grasslands (Oñatibia et al, 2015;Moghli et al, 2022). Woody species cover and soil organic C, which are the main carbon pools in grassland ecosystems (Oñatibia et al, 2015), were measured as a proxy of carbon sequestration function, with substantial implications in climate regulation since grasslands store 20-25% of the global terrestrial C (Havstad et al, 2007).…”

Section: Ecosystem Multifunctionality Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We considered that the higher the values for the different indicators, the higher the ecosystem function following the recommendation of Maestre et al (2012b). Highly correlated indicators within each ecosystem function (rpearson > 0.7) were removed to avoid redundant information (Moghli et al, 2022; Table 1). Raw indicators were first normalized using a square root transformation (Valencia et al, 2015), and then standardized using a z-score transformation (Bradford et al, 2014), which do not constrain the variability found in the raw ecosystem function indicators (Maestre et al, 2012b).…”

Section: Ecosystem Multifunctionality Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transhumant Sheep Grazing Enhances Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Productive Mountain Grasslands: A Case Study in the Cantabrian Mountains

et al. 2022

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Understanding the effects of traditional livestock grazing abandonment on the ability of mountain grasslands to sustain multiple ecosystem functions (ecosystem multifunctionality; EMF) is crucial for implementing policies that promote grasslands conservation and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services. In this study, we evaluated the effect of short- and long-term transhumant sheep abandonment on EMF through a grazing exclusion experiment in a grassland of the Cantabrian Mountains range (NW Spain), where transhumant sheep flocks graze in summer. We considered four key ecosystem functions, derived from vegetation and soil functional indicators measured in the field: (A) biodiversity function, evaluated from total plant species evenness, diversity and richness indicators; (B) forage production function, evaluated from cover and richness of perennial and annual herbaceous species indicators; (C) carbon sequestration function, evaluated from woody species cover and soil organic carbon indicators; and (D) soil fertility function, evaluated from NH4+-N, NO3–-N, P and K content in the soil. The EMF index was calculated by integrating the four standardized ecosystem functions through an averaging approach. Based on linear mixed modeling we found that grazing exclusion induced significant shifts in the considered individual ecosystem functions and also on EMF. Long-term livestock exclusion significantly hindered biodiversity and forage production functions, but enhanced the carbon sequestration function. Conversely, the soil fertility function was negatively affected by both short- and long-term grazing exclusion. Altogether, grazing exclusion significantly decreased overall EMF, especially in long-term livestock exclusion areas, while the decline in EMF in short-term exclusions with respect to grazed areas was marginally significant. The results of this study support the sustainability of traditional transhumance livestock grazing for promoting the conservation of grasslands and their ecosystem function in mountain regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ecosystem Multifunctionality Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ecosystem Multifunctionality Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transhumant Sheep Grazing Enhances Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Productive Mountain Grasslands: A Case Study in the Cantabrian Mountains

et al. 2022

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“…Harvesting residual forest biomass can decrease the incidence of devastating summer forest fires and their disastrous consequences for the environment, the economy, and the local populations [21,29]. To mitigate the potential for wildfires, measures include thinning of existing plantation, reducing fuel plants, and creating fire safety zones [30]. It is common practice, however, especially in regions that do not have a strong woody biomass market, to dispose of forest residues unutilized on forest roads [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residual Forest Biomass in Pinus Stands: Accumulation and Biogas Production Potential

et al. 2022

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Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant resource that can be valorized for the production of bioenergy. However, studies aiming to quantify the amount of biogas production potential per km forest road are scarce in the literature. In this study, fresh pine needles, pine needle litter, pine branches, and pine bark were digested in batch reactors under mesophilic conditions after a grinding/milling pre-treatment. All samples were collected from a low-altitude Mediterranean Pinus forest (North Greece) adjacent to a category G forest road with a gentle slope. The methane yield of fresh pine needles was between 115 and 164 NmL g−1 volatile solids (VS), depending on the Pinus tree size. Pine needle litter produced a significantly lower methane yield (between 58 and 77 NmL g−1 VS), followed by pine bark (85 NmL g−1 VS) and pine branches (138 NmL g−1 VS). Considering the quantity of pine needle litter accumulated on adjacent forest roads (600 ± 200 g m−2), it was possible to calculate the biomethane production potential per km of forest road (up to 500 Nm3 km−1) if the biomass collected was disposed of at an anaerobic digestion facility. The results of the study demonstrate that residual forest biomass represents an additional resource for bioenergy production. Moreover, harvesting residual forest biomass can decrease the incidence of devastating summer forest fires and their disastrous consequences for the environment, the economy, and the local populations.

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“…Nevertheless, to date, the influence of post-fire mulching and burnt wood treatments on EMF, and particularly on soil multifunctionality, remains little examined in fire-prone ecosystems in the medium term after fire. In this sense, Lucas-Borja et al (2021) and Moghli et al (2022b) demonstrated the effectiveness of erosion barriers and thinning/plantation actions for supporting multiple ecosystems functioning attributes on Pinus halepensis Mill. forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Burnt wood management enhances soil multifunctionality at the medium term after a large wildfire in north-west Spain

Fernández‐Guisuraga

Calvo²,

Huerta³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Background. Mulching and burnt wood treatments are commonly applied to prevent the loss of soil quality and erosion, but their effect on soil multifunctionality remains unexplored. Aims. We filled this gap by assessing the medium-term (4 years) effects of these treatments on soil multifunctionality after a large wildfire in NW Spain. Methods. Straw mulching (SM) and cut plus lopping (CpL) treatments were applied in high-severity affected areas of heathland plant communities. CpL areas had been afforested with Scots pine 15 years before the fire. We considered four soil functions estimated in treated and burned control plots 4 years after fire:(1) carbon regulation; (2) water regulation; (3) soil fertility; and (4) nutrient cycling. The functions were integrated into a multifunctionality index and linear models were used to evaluate treatments effect. Key results. SM had no impact on individual functions and multifunctionality. Conversely, CpL with burnt Scots pine wood was able to sustain higher levels of multiple functions simultaneously than control areas. Consistent trade-offs between soil functions emerged in control areas for both treatments. Conclusions. Burnt wood could ensure longlasting effects to promote soil multifunctionality in Mediterranean ecosystems. Implications. We recommend using a multifunctionality approach to avoid biases in treatment success.

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Thinning and plantation of resprouting species redirect overstocked pine stands towards more functional communities in the Mediterranean basin

Cited by 12 publications

References 62 publications

Transhumant Sheep Grazing Enhances Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Productive Mountain Grasslands: A Case Study in the Cantabrian Mountains

Transhumant Sheep Grazing Enhances Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Productive Mountain Grasslands: A Case Study in the Cantabrian Mountains

Residual Forest Biomass in Pinus Stands: Accumulation and Biogas Production Potential

Burnt wood management enhances soil multifunctionality at the medium term after a large wildfire in north-west Spain

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